


Ronarry headcanons

by Headcanonsandmore



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Ron Weasley, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Polyamory, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Supportive Ron Weasley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25219867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headcanonsandmore/pseuds/Headcanonsandmore
Summary: AU where Harry begins to fall for Ron.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley - Relationship
Comments: 46
Kudos: 253





	1. Burgeoning feelings

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, what follows is a headcanon series about Harry falling for Ron. Hope you like it!

_‘If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us too!’_

That was the moment that Harry began to see his best friend in a different light. Ron had always been special to him, but never before had Harry felt his heart ache when he did so much about thought about him.

He didn’t have time to think too much about it at the time, but -in the weeks and months that followed- it continued to weigh on Harry’s mind, no matter how he tried to ignore it.

This was normal, right? To have your heart ache when you thought about your best friend? To be unable to take your eyes off him whenever he spoke? To want nothing more than to make him happy?

Harry had never had a best friend before Ron, but he really hoped that these were normal feelings to have towards your best friend. He couldn’t bare to think that Ron might see him as… creepy or something.

Over that summer, these thoughts continued to swirl in Harry’s mind. Hopefully, his letters to Ron weren’t betraying anything. Besides, Harry fancied Cho Chang! The thought of going with Ron to the Quidditch World Cup was tantalising, though, especially knowing that he’d be staying at the Burrow afterwards.

When Ron exploded out of the Dursley’s fireplace, his smile wide and his blue eyes sparkling in the summer sun, Harry felt his heart double in size, and he hoped dearly that he wasn’t blushing as Ron hugged him.

Ron had looked so cheerful and full of life as they chatted in his attic room. Harry had found it difficult not to smile like an idiot whenever the redhead made a joke. He almost wished Hermione wasn’t there, but chided himself for it. That wasn’t fair to her.

Sleeping in the same room as Ron was rather nice too. He’d never thought much about it before, but –after the summer break- he had grown much more aware of it. He hoped he would cope okay when they were sharing their dormitory again at Hogwarts.

The Quidditch World Cup had been exhilarating. Although Harry had been very confused by the Veela; yes, he had caught up in their spell, but he had been unable to meet Ron’s eyes immediately afterwards. Almost like he was ashamed that Ron had seen him like that. If Ron had noticed this, he hadn’t commented on it, probably understanding that Harry felt uncomfortable about it.

When they had later run into Veela again, Harry had felt a weird feeling stir in his chest as he pulled Ron away from them. He probably would have dismissed it, but Hermione seemed to be just as annoyed by it. Harry felt anxiety creep through his heart. No… why did that bother him?

Flash forward a few months, and Harry is devastated. Ron wasn’t talking to him, he could possibly die in the first Triwizard task, and half the school seemed to hate him. But it was Ron’s absence that was the worst. He’d said some things that he hadn’t meant, but it had been too late. He’d called Ron an idiot, and they had barely spoken since. Ron thought he had deliberately joined the tournament, and probably thought Harry was a liar as a result.

Hermione had tried to get them to reconcile, but Harry didn’t dare tell her just how much he missed Ron. He could barely admit it to himself and -besides- he had reservations about explaining things with Ron to Hermione anyway. He had a horrible feeling things would get worse if he did tell her.

The first task had finished, and Ron had approached him, looking very pale and worried. Before Harry realised what he was saying, the two of them had made things up. Harry tried not to smile too much; he didn’t want Ron to realise just how much he’d missed him. He’d probably think it was weird, anyway.

After that, things had improved. He had Ron back by his side, and life seemed to be looking up. But then the Yule Ball had been announced, and Harry had found his stomach squirming with nerves for reasons he wasn’t sure he could describe.

It had only been when Hermione suggested that Harry ask Cho Chang to the ball, that Harry had realised what the issue was. He didn’t want to go with anyone but Ron.

Harry was ashamed to admit it, but he was almost glad that Ron hadn’t been asked by anyone. But that didn’t mean he could just go and ask Ron.

‘I heard Dean and Seamus are going together.’

Harry choked on his mug of tea.

‘W-what? T-to the ball, you mean?’

‘Yeah,’ Ron said. ‘Apparently, Justin is going with Ernie too.’

‘I didn’t know they were a couple.’

Ron shrugged.

‘I think they’re just going as friends.’

‘Oh… s-so people can do that, then? Go as friends?’

Ron looked up at Harry, noticing his fidgeting.

‘Mate, what’s wrong? You okay-’

‘Doyouwannagoballwithme?’

‘Er… what?’

‘Do-do you want to go to the ball with me?’

Ron stared at Harry for a second.

‘N-nevermind,’ Harry said. ‘I know. Silly idea. I shouldn’t have-’

‘No, it’s a great idea,’ Ron said. ‘This way, you get a partner without having to worry, and I don’t look like a shmuck stood on my own.’

‘Y-you mean it? You don’t mind going with me?’

‘Course I don’t mind.’ Ron replied, grinning. ‘You’re my best mate, after all. We’ll have a great time.’

Harry smiled back, trying not to blush.

‘Yeah, exactly.’

At that moment, Hermione arrived through the portrait hole. As she approached the two boys, her eyes flicked between them, looking confused.

‘What’s got you two in such a good mood?’

‘No reason,’ Ron said, airily.

Hermione fixed Harry with a suspicious look. The boy who lived took another sip of his pumpkin juice, before discussing that Ginny was going with Neville to the ball.

After what seemed like no time at all, Christmas Day had passed, and Harry was changing into his dress robes.

‘Looking good, mate.’

Ron grinned at him, and Harry turned away so the redhead wouldn’t see him blushing.

‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘How could you’re not changed yet?’

Ron groaned.

‘Kind hoping I could just go in my school robes.’

Harry turned back to him, noticing Ron’s tone.

‘We can fix your dress robes. We can use _diffindo_ on the lacey stuff, and use a colour change spell. We can ask Hermione to-’

‘Can we keep this just between us?’ Ron said, quickly. ‘I don’t like bothering her about this stuff. Especially since she’s probably getting ready herself. Do… do you know who she’s going with, by the way?’

Harry shrugged, feeling another anxious feeling cross his heart.

After Ron put on his robes, Harry used _diffindo_ on the cuffs, and -with the help of Dean (who was quite artistic)- changed the colour of Ron’s robes to black, with a blue lining to match Ron’s eyes. Harry really did wonder why Mrs Weasley hadn’t just done this herself before she sent them off; she was a talented witch, after all. Was she really that busy?

Deciding that Ron’s next birthday present from him was going to bed a set of new robes, Harry stood back to look as the redhead stared at his robes in the mirror. He looked very handsome, and Harry couldn’t stop himself grinning at Ron’s overjoyed expression.

The Ball itself swept by fairly quickly. No-one seemed to be bothered that Harry was going with Ron, possibly because they were inseparable anyway. Whatever it was, Harry was glad that people weren’t staring weird at them. He wanted this night to be perfect. And -with Ron on his arm- the night was shaping up to be very wonderful indeed.

He did wish that Ron would stop staring moodily at Viktor Krum, though. It had been something of a shock to see Hermione with the Bulgarian. Although it was apparently more shocking for Ron.

As soon as the dinner ended, Harry immediately pulled Ron as far away from Krum and Hermione as possible. After a bit of dancing, Ron seemed to relax a bit, and even swung Harry around a few times. Harry even forgot about Cho and Cedric dancing a few feet away. With Ron dancing close to him, his worries seemed to melt away.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Hermione glaring at them.

After the song ended, Ron bent down and –winking- kissed Harry’s hand. Harry felt his pulse quicken, and his face flush as they made their way over to the drinks table.

_This couldn’t be….surely not…._

Harry had spent the next few weeks desperately trying to ignore the feelings pulsing in his heart whenever he looked at Ron. But then the second task had happened, and Harry had spent the entire time in the water terrified that he was about to lose Ron.

After they broke the surface of the lake, Ron had awoken from his magical slumber, and Harry -without thinking- had thrown his arms around the redhead.

‘What? Harry? Mate, you alright?’

‘Fine!’ Harry laughed happily, wiping a tear from his eye. ‘Never better.’

It was at this moment that Hermione -watching from the shoreline- felt her stomach drop as she stared at her two best friends.

The rest of the year seemed to pass fairly quickly, until the third task. The night that had changed everything. And Harry found himself sat in a bed in the hospital wing, being hugged by Mrs Weasley and dearly wishing Ron couldn’t see him cry.

After Mrs Weasley had pulled away, Ron wrapped his arms around Harry, and the raven-haired boy found himself unable to stop crying in the redheads shoulder, holding onto him for dear life. He didn’t want to lose anyone else. Especially Ron.

Harry was dreading the final day of term. He dragged his feet onto the platform at Kings Cross, hoping to put off the inevitable.

Ron pulled him into a hug, and Harry wished he wouldn’t ever have to let go. It was shocking just how much had changed over the course of barely a year.

But, despite all the danger in front of them all, Harry was buoyed by the knowledge that Ron would be by his side. And –biding both Ron and Hermione goodbye- Harry left the station with the Dursleys.


	2. Changing Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts was complicated enough without his feelings for his redheaded best friend getting stronger.

Harry had not had a good summer. The Dursleys had been awful as usual, ‘The Daily Prophet’ was toeing the Ministry line about Voldemort not being back, and -by the sound of it- Ron and Hermione were accosted together somewhere.

That last part was especially bad.

Harry groaned, trying to ignore the ache in his heart. So what is Ron was in the same place as Hermione? It wasn’t like Ron was dating Harry, or anything.

Between his heartache over Ron and the continuing nightmares about the graveyard, Harry had found it very difficult to get any rest. He hadn’t slept properly since he had returned from Hogwarts, and there were heavy bags under his eyes.

Discarded on Harry’s desk were several letters, from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and Sirius.

Hagrid had written in his last letter about the various magical creatures he was getting for the upcoming year. Harry hoped that they’d be a little less dangerous, but he knew Hagrid better than that. Maybe he could suggest bringing the Nifflers back?

Hermione’s letters were… well, very much like Hermione. Long-winded and a little difficult to follow at times. Harry appreciated her concern, but she fretted worse than Mrs Weasley when she was worried.

Sirius alone of them seemed to understand Harry’s frustration with being stuck at Privet Drive. Harry supposed that his godfathers’ extended stay in Azkaban would do that. 

Harry tried to avoid re-reading Ron’s letters too much. There weren’t any fancy, of course, but they put Harry in mind of the times he and Ron had played hangman on spare scraps of parchment to liven up Binn’s dull lessons. The memories were strangely comforting.

Shortly after this, Harry and Dudley were attacked by a dementor, and Harry had found himself apparently expelled from Hogwarts. Harry’s stomach turned to lead at the very thought. But then a several owls had appeared, instructing him not to give up his wand to the ministry and to remain at Privet Drive while Dumbledore sorted it out.

Harry was simultaneously relieved as well as angry that everyone seemed to be treating him like a child who had messed things up. Like a little boy who had broken a vase.

A few days later, the Dursleys had left suddenly, and Harry had found himself being rescued by a gaggle of wizards. He had been pleasantly surprised to meet Professor Lupin again, and Tonks seemed cool.

They had taken him to Grimmauld Place. There, he had met Ron and Hermione again. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry had started yelling at them both. After his anger had lessened, he had felt deep shame. Especially as he remembered the hurt look on his friends faces.

Especially Ron’s face.

‘I’m… I’m sorry, mate,’ Harry mumbled. ‘I… I…’

‘Harry, it’s okay,’ Ron said, patting him on the shoulder. ‘You’ve been stuck with the Dursleys for a month; I don’t blame you for getting angry.’

Harry tried to ignore the goosebumps erupting across his upper body at Ron’s touch. His life was complicated enough as it was without… _this_ added to the mix.

The trial had happened, and Harry had been cleared of all charges. Ron had hugged him, resulting in Harry smiling for what felt like the first time in weeks. Feeling elated, he had happily watched Fred, George and Ginny dancing around. Maybe things were finally looking up for him.

How wrong he was.

Sharing a room with Ron was nice; Harry seemed to sleep better when he could the redhead snoring quietly on the other side of the room. He tried to ignore Hermione’s suspicious looks after Mrs Weasley pointed out how much healthier looked. He didn’t want to make things more complicated.

The first of September seemed to come out of nowhere, and Harry found himself on the Hogwarts Express once again. But, this time Ron was not with him; he had gone with Hermione to the prefect carriage. Harry had felt a strange sense of loss as Ron’s lanky form disappeared down the train corridor.

He had been conflicted when Ron had received the prefect badge. Ron deserved it, of course; Harry knew that better than anyone. But -he felt ashamed to admit it- he hadn’t ever thought that Ron might succeed at something before he did.

God, he was a selfish git, wasn’t he. Ron hadn’t asked to be given the prefect badge, and Harry had no intention of holding it against him. Besides, Ron was a more sociable person than Harry was, and -unlike Harry- Ron could go toe-to-toe with Hermione about things. Out of the Gryffindor boys, Ron was the best choice.

At the very least, Harry had managed to hide his initial confusion from Ron, unlike Hermione, who had been completely flabbergasted. Harry had felt especially angry about the fact she seemed unable to remember any of the amazing things Ron had done. She had been present at most of them! Why had her normally-brilliant memory failed her so spectacularly? Harry had felt his heart drop at the sad look he had seen on Ron’s face at the time.

If Hermione did –as Harry suspected- like Ron so much, why was she so rubbish at making it known how amazing he was? Harry knew he wasn’t the best at emotions, but - _merlin’s beard_ \- could she really not tell just what an impact her actions could have on him?

While Harry did miss Ron as he settled down in the compartment with Ginny, Neville and the girl called Luna Lovegood, he was glad the redhead hadn’t seen Harry covered in Stinksap. Cho Chang had, though, but that didn’t seem nearly as bad a situation as Harry might have thought previously.

Ron and Hermione returned a little while later, and Harry couldn’t help grinning at Ron casually polishing his prefect badge with the sleeve of his robes. Although -out of the corner of his eye- Harry did see both Luna and Hermione staring at Ron too. Oh, _brilliant_.

Unfortunately, Harry’s mood was hampered when Malfoy appeared, hinting that he and Malfoy Senior knew about Sirius staying in London.

After this had happened, Harry and Hermione had exchanged worried glances. Noticing this, Ron had diverted Ginny, Neville and Luna’s attention by talking about something else. He had done this so casually that you could have been mistaken for thinking that Malfoy’s hints had flown straight over Ron’s head. But Harry knew better. Ron had always been like that; able to access situations and instantly come up with a plan of action.

It was one of the things Harry liked most about Ron.

As he thought about this, Harry noticed Hermione staring at Ron, her eyes slightly misty and with a deep longing look.

Harry felt his heart drop. This was going to be a difficult year.

Harry’s first week of fifth year had been a complete trainwreck.

Umbridge was bad news. Within a single lesson, Harry had gotten a detention from her. Angelina Johnson was angry at him for missing the Quidditch try-outs due to the detention. Hagrid wasn’t doing Care of Magical Creatures lessons for some inexplicable reason. Hermione was taking a ‘I told you so’ attitude about everything.

However, one bright spot was present.

‘Mate, you okay?’ Ron said, wrapping his arm around Harry’s shoulder in a comforting sort of way. ‘How about we go play some chess? Take your mind off things?’

Harry grinned, trying not to look too happy as Ron pulled out his chess set. He ignored Hermione’s roll of the eyes. She was a good friend, but she needed to understand that Harry needed some time to relax occasionally.

Harry was thrilled when he found out that Ron was planning on trying out for Gryffindor Keeper; when Ron got the position, it would be great! And Harry _knew_ Ron would get the position, he just knew it.

And he did appreciate Ron’s concern over Umbridge’s treatment of him. He had to admit, his stomach had flipped slightly when Ron had held his arm.

It took a while for Harry to be convinced that he should teach people Defence, but he found it difficult to imagine anyone would want to be taught by him.

‘Ron, do you really think I’d be any good at it? Teaching, I mean?’

‘Course,’ the redhead replied, ‘You’re one of the best at defence. Better than me, that’s for sure.’

‘You’re good at defence,’ Harry said, stung by this.

Ron’s ears went red.

‘Thanks, mate.’

‘No… no problem,’ Harry said, feeling his stomach flip over.

During the first meeting of what would later be known as the DA, Harry felt Cho Chang’s eyes on him, and he felt a bit nervous. Cho was amazing, and he _had_ fancied her; so why was he so conflicted about it? Shouldn’t he be happy that she was looking at him?

Harry already knew the answer to both those questions. And they both involved the redheaded boy sat next to him.

When Hermione happened to mention Cho staring at him throughout the meeting, Harry felt his stomach drop, and couldn’t quite meet Ron’s eyes. Thankfully, Ron was still angrily muttering about Michael Corner, so he didn’t notice.

Well, at least Ginny didn’t fancy him anymore. He’d feel dreadful if she ever found out that he’d… well, that Ginny wasn’t the Weasley he had started noticing.

Hermione eyed Harry closely as she noticed his reaction. Great; that was all Harry needed at the moment...

The DA sessions helped to take Harry’s mind off all of this. He gave him a deep sense of purpose, as well as feeling that he was rebelling against Umbridge’s terrible teaching and the Ministry’s ridiculous avoidance of the truth.

However, this all came crashing down at the end of the last session of the DA before the winter holidays. Cho had stayed behind while Harry was packing things up. She had started crying, and begun talking about Cedric. Harry had tried to calm her down, talking about how brilliant at defence Cedric had been.

Cho had stared at Harry in a funny way, before leaning towards him, her eyes fluttering shut.

‘C-Cho…’ Harry stammered, putting up his hands. ‘I’m… I’m sorry… I… I can’t…’

Cho looked at Harry in baffled confusion.

‘I… I thought you…’-her eyes widened in shock-‘oh, merlin, I completely misunderstood, I’m… I’m so sorry…’

‘It’s-it’s fine,’ Harry spluttered, his face turning red. ‘Don’t get me wrong; you’re awesome and everything, but I…’

Cho smiled at him, sadly.

‘We never managed to get the timing right for this, did we?’

‘Sorry.’

‘Don’t be. Just one of those things. Is… is there someone else?’

Harry stared at her, feeling his stomach drop as he slowly realised.

‘Yes. Yes, there is.’

When Harry returned to the common room, Ron and Hermione were sat near the fire. Hermione was writing a long letter.

‘How did it go with Cho?’

‘Oh…’ Harry said, flushing again. ‘Well… she…’

‘Did you kiss?’

Ron turned his neck so quickly that his ink bottle was upended. Deliberately ignoring this, Harry shook his head.

‘Why?’ Hermione asked, staring at him over her parchment. ‘I though you liked her?’

‘I… I dunno. I just…’

Harry didn’t trust himself to look at Ron.

‘I… I just don’t see her that way anymore.’

Hermione eyed him beadily with narrowed eyes.

‘Well, probably for the best, mate,’ Ron said. ‘I mean, she’s nice and all, but she’s pretty miserable at the moment. Understandably.’

‘Ron, you are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet!’ Hermione exclaimed.

Ron stared at her with a rather hurt look.

‘What have I done now?’

‘Cedric _died_ , Ron! Obviously, she’s miserable!’

‘And so is Harry, because he was there at the time! One person can’t feel so much stuff without exploding!’

‘Just because you’re got the emotional range of a teaspoon-’

‘Oh, that’s rich coming from you!’ Harry said, angrily.

‘Excuse me?’ Hermione declared, glaring at Harry.

‘I don’t recall you congratulating Ron very well after he got the prefect badge-’

‘That was completely different-’

‘Oh, is it, Hermione? Is it, really? Seems pretty similar to me!’

The two Hs glared at each other. Harry strode off to the boys dormitory stairs in a huff.

Barely a few hours later, Harry had a horrendous dream involving a snake and- Mr Weasley had been attacked. Ron had leaned over Harry, rubbing his back as the boy who lived vomited onto the floor. He didn’t have any way of knowing why Harry was so horrified; the fact that _he_ had been the one attacking Mr Weasley.

After a discussion with Dumbledore (who refused to look Harry in the eye), Harry and the Weasley siblings had been sent by floo to Grimmauld Place. They hung around the kitchen, waiting for news. Fred paced the floor. Ginny had dozed off on George’s shoulder. Ron was sat at the table, his suggestion of a cup of tea having fallen on deaf ears.

Harry stood with Sirius, both of them intruders on the Weasleys worries.

Seeing Harry’s worried look, Sirius nudged him in the ribs, and nodded towards Ron. Stumbling slightly, Harry sat down next to Ron. He had no idea what to say.

Without thinking, Ron reached out and wrapped his hand around Harry’s wrist. Neither of them said anything, but sat there in quiet contemplation.

After the message of Arthur’s all-clear had reached them, they all let out a deep sigh of relief. Sirius instructed them all to head to bed. Ron continued to hold onto Harry as they walked upstairs. It was only when they were inside the shared bedroom that the redhead let go.

As they climbed into their individual beds, Ron spoke, for the first time in hours.

‘Harry?’

‘Yeah, mate?’

‘Thanks.’

‘For what?’

But Ron had fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you liked this update! Apologies for the delay, but -as you can probably tell- this chapter is a lot longer than the previous one. I hope to update again in the next few weeks, so stay tuned! :)


	3. Evolving friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As fifth year continues to get more and more complicated, Harry finds his feelings for Ron developing as well. In such rapidly changing circumstances, his friendship with his best mate is more important than ever, and yet...

Harry had plenty of time to wonder about what Ron had meant; there was no chance of going back to Hogwarts (under Umbridge’s thumb) for the time being. The dark, dismal walls of Grimmauld Place became their home for the next few weeks.

Ron was much the same as ever, but -every so often- Harry caught the redhead smiling slightly as he looked at Harry. Harry just hoped he wasn’t reading too much into things.

The Weasleys had something to look forward to, after all. Arthur had turned a curve in his recovery, and a visit had been booked.

Harry had never been to the wizarding hospital before, but St Mungo’s did not disappoint. It was shocking to see so many people with such bizarre ailments.

Mr Weasley was cheerful and optimistic, immediately thanking Harry for notifying everyone about the attack. As Harry and the Weasley siblings left to get a cup of tea, the twins camped outside the door with extendable ears at the ready.

The shock of what the Order members were discussing rocked Harry to his core. Did Voldemort really possess him, like he had done with Ginny several years previously?

But… but that meant that everyone around Harry was a risk! Ron… oh, merlin, Harry was sharing with Ron! What if Voldemort possessed Harry during the night and attacked Ron in his sleep?

The thought send waves of cold nausea through Harry’s very being.

He began isolating himself from the others, hiding in obscure corners of Grimmauld Place. He refused to fall asleep at night, just in case Voldemort possessed him again. He couldn’t take the risk.

He was hiding in the old living room one morning when Hermione barged through the door.

‘Harry!’ she cried, happily, pulling him into a very one-sided hug. ‘How are you?’

‘What are you doing here? I thought you were skiing with your parents.’

‘Well, skiing isn’t really my thing. But –for goodness sakes- don’t tell Ron; he still thinks it’s weird for muggles to slide down mountains on strips of wood. But nevermind that; how’s Mr Weasley?’

‘He’s fine; bit banged up.’

‘Thank goodness! Now, where are Ron and Ginny?’

‘Upstairs somewhere. Why-’

Hermione proceeded to drag him upstairs against his protestations. Ron and Ginny were sat playing chess in the room he shared with Harry. A plate of sandwiches was on the table nearby. Hermione sat down next to Ginny. The two girls and Ron stared over at Harry.

‘So, how are you feeling?’ Hermione asked.

‘Fine,’ Harry replied, stiffly.

‘Oh, don’t give me that. Ron and Ginny said you’ve been avoiding them since you got back from St Mungos.’

‘Oh, they have, have they?’ Harry spat, before regretting it instantly.

Ginny glared at him angrily, but Ron looked down at his feet. Harry felt a guilty squirm in the region of his stomach.

‘Stop being all misunderstood, Harry,’ Hermione continued. ‘You’re not being possessed.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘Because-’Ginny butted in.‘-I’m the only person you know who’s been possessed by Voldemort, and I know you’re not being possessed.’

‘So you can still be around us,’ Ron said, quietly. ‘Don’t shut us out, mate.’

The look of barely-disguised hurt on Ron’s face was enough to banish the remainder of angry thoughts from Harry’s mind.

‘I’m… I’m sorry,’ Harry said, speaking to them all. ‘I… I should’ve…’

‘It’s fine,’ Ginny said. ‘But, like Ron says, please don’t shut us out. We’re your friends, Harry; we’re here for you.’

‘Right. So… you really don’t think I’m being possessed?’

‘Do you have periods of time where you can’t remember what you did?’

Harry shook his head.

‘Then you haven’t been possessed,’ Ginny continued. ‘From what Ron was saying, you never left your bed.’

‘You were thrashing around like mad,’ Ron said, rubbing his neck. ‘But you never left the dormitory.’

Harry felt his heart rapidly re-inflate. He wasn’t being possessed? Suddenly ravenous, Harry tore into the plate of sandwiches. Ron smiled at him as he watched Harry eat.

The rest of the Christmas holidays went rather well. Although the revelation regarding Frank and Alice Longbottom was rather alarming.

Upon returning to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus (during which –much to Harry’s irritation- Hermione crashed into Ron, knocking them both to the ground), Harry discovered that Umbridge had tightened her control even further, presumably angry that Dumbledore had been able to get the Weasleys (plus Harry) away from Hogwarts before she could stop them.

Harry bumped into Cho whilst putting up a Quidditch bulletin, and the two of them had a nice conversation. In passing, she happened to mention that the next Hogsmeade visit was on Valentine’s Day, and said that she hoped things would go well for Harry and his crush. Harry smiled; he appreciated that Cho was trying to be supportive.

Sadly, smiling wasn’t something that happened to Harry a lot during the next Quidditch Match. The Slytherins continued their chanting of ‘”Weasley Is Our King”, and Ron’s already-low confidence sunk to an even greater degree. While they did manage to win the match, Ron had walked off to the changing rooms by himself, and -before Harry had a chance to offer him any support- Malfoy had landed nearby and started mocking both the Weasley family and Harry’s own mother.

One very short fight later, and Harry found himself banned from Quidditch for life (along with both the twins) by Umbridge. Angelina Johnson was horrified when they told her.

Ron turned up a few hours later, having apparently been walking around the grounds in the rain. Hermione immediately used a warming spell to dry his clothes, but the miserable look on his face did not disappear.

‘I quit,’ he said. ‘I’m rubbish.’

‘You’re not rubbish and you’re not quitting,’ Harry said, forcefully. ‘And –anyway- if you leave, they’ll only be the three chasers left. I’ve got a lifelong ban; so have Fred and George.’

Ron’s face went from miserable to outright shock.

‘Why?’

‘Me and George punched Malfoy.’

‘He was disrespecting mum,’ George explained.

Ron stared at Harry in confusion.

‘Well, I guess I’ll have to stay, just so Angelina doesn’t have to replace the keeper position. But when I lose us the next match -and I will- I’m quitting for good.’

Before Harry could say anything, Ron had walked off to bed, disappearing up the dormitory steps.

‘Well, that ended well,’ Fred said, moodily.

‘Shut it,’ Harry growled. ‘Maybe Ron wouldn’t have been so nerve-wracked if any of you lot had actually shown him some support. Why do you _think_ that song affected him so much?’

Both Fred and George went very quiet. Hermione didn’t say anything, but stared over after Ron up the boy’s dormitory steps.

The next few weeks were torture. Ron was miserable, as was the rest of the team. Harry was stuck doing detention every week with Umbridge, and was consequently going through enough Essence of Murtlap to stun a small army.

Snape’s Occlumency lessons were going from bad to worse. Harry felt like his scar was actually hurting more than it had been before they started, and his dreams continued to be full the same corridors every night. He didn’t mention this to Ron or Hermione, because he knew Ron would worry, and Hermione would go on about how Harry wasn’t trying hard enough to close his mind.

Despite all this, out of nowhere, Ron seemed to have reached a strange sense of optimism about Quidditch.

‘Can’t get any worse, can I?’ He said, matter-of-factly, as he and Harry left Divination one day. ‘Only thing to do is improve.’

‘I keep telling you, you’re a good player.’ Harry replied. ‘It’s that stupid song getting in your head. I wonder why McGonagall hasn’t put people in detention for singing it.’

Ron chuckled.

‘Since when have the teachers ever been bothered about happens to me? Besides, she can’t do anything with Umbridge breathing down her neck.’

‘Doesn’t make it right. Every time Malfoy gets that smug smile on his face, I just wanna punch him again.’

‘Leave it. You’ve got enough detentions as it is.’

‘I guess. I just wish I could help.’

‘You can help by watching the match and not laughing at me when I miss the Quaffle.’

‘Don’t talk like that about yourself.’

~~~~~

Harry didn’t want to leave the Quidditch final, but Hagrid insisted. Harry and Hermione discovered Hagrid’s secret about his brother Grawp, and how they would need to look after him if Hagrid was fired by Umbridge.

They were just making their way back to the stadium when they heard the chanting.

_Weasley is our king…_

‘Oh, honestly!’ Hermione exclaimed, angrily. ‘Can’t they give that song a rest? No wonder Ron’s confidence was shock-’

_He never lets the Quaffle in…_

_That’s why Gryffindors all sing…_

_Weasley is our king…_

‘Hermione…’

‘Do… do you think…’

A crowd of scarlet-clad supporters exited the stadium, carrying a redheaded, beaming figure.

‘YES!’ Harry and Hermione yelled, sprinting down to the path.

The crowd parted, and Ron appeared, held aloft by adoring Gryffindors. His eyes were shining with a light Harry had rarely seen, and his hands were aloft, holding the glistening Quidditch Cup.

‘We won!’ The redhead cheered, grinning at them.

Both Harry and Hermione grinned back at him as the crowd passed. Deciding it would be best not to tell him where they had been, the two of them hurriedly followed the crowd through the castle back to Gryffindor Tower.

The Tower was a whirlwind of activity; of cheering people, red and gold banners, and food and drink being consumed with ravenous, cheery abandon. It took the crowd several minutes to finally let Ron down, as the assembled Gryffindors (plus Luna Lovegood and various hangers-on) continued to chant ‘Weasley Is Our King’.

The largest, lavish seat was brought over, and Ron was enthroned -pride of place- in the middle of the common room. There was one final chant of the song, and then the biggest party the common room had ever seen promptly got underway.

Harry and Hermione pushed their way through the crowds, and finally sat down next to Ron, who was still grinning with delight.

‘Congratulations, mate!’ Harry said, clanging their goblets together.

‘Thanks!’ Ron replied. ‘I was really worried at the start, but it all turned out okay. Guess I just needed to get out of my own head a bit.’

‘Exactly; we always knew you could do it,’ Hermione said, smiling. ‘You’re a fantastic keeper.’

‘R-really?’ Ron asked, his ears going pink. ‘You… you really mean that?’

‘Of course,’ Hermione said, before taking a huge gulp of pumpkin juice. Harry could have been mistaken, but it seemed like she was blushing too.

Normally, Harry would have gotten jealous over this, but he couldn’t find it in his heart. He was just glad that Hermione could show that she believed in Ron.

~~~~~~~

Not only had the DA been discovered, but Dumbledore had fled from Hogwarts. Shortly later, Hagrid had been attacked by ministry officials (led by Umbridge) and left as well. On the very same night, McGonagall had been admitted to St Mungos after being hit by five stunning spells.

As if the exam period wasn’t going badly as it was.

If Ron hadn’t been making sure that they had all been eating properly, Harry didn’t think he and Hermione would have made it through.

Harry did rather savour the look on Umbridge’s face after performing the patronus charm.

Not to mention that, during the practical Charms exam, Ron had apparently broken Gamps Law of Elemental Transfiguration by creating a large mushroom out of nothing; Harry had looked on with pride as the shocked examiners scribbled furiously onto their parchments. Ron, on the other hand, didn’t seem to realise what had happened, and had gone very pale.

Harry decided not to mention this to Hermione; he didn’t think her attraction for Ron could withstand her need to be the best in all their shared classes. But he did give Ron an encouraging thumbs-up as he left the great hall.

However, things rapidly went downhill during the History of Magic exam. Harry had managed to fall asleep, and… well, Sirius was being tortured by Voldemort in the department of mysteries.

Ron and Hermione suggested that they use Umbridge’s fireplace to contact Grimmauld Place. Unfortunately, the call did little to alleviate Harry’s terror. Kreacher had made it very clear that Sirius was at the ministry.

Things went from bad to worse momentarily afterwards, because Umbridge caught them. Harry tried to tell Snape that ‘Padfoot was in the place it was hidden’, but Snape had not understood.

Hermione had thought wildly, and come up with the idea to lure Umbridge into the forbidden forest. Which had ended about as well as Harry expected; both of them had almost gotten killed by the centaurs after they had carted Umbridge away. Luckily, Grawp had appeared and given them enough time to get away.

Nearby Hagrid’s hut, they had run into Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, who had managed to incapacitate the Inquisitorial Squad through an ingenious plan of Ron’s.

If he hadn’t been so worried about Sirius, Harry probably would have kissed Ron there and then. But it was probably for the best that he hadn’t.

Upon arriving at the ministry, they had immediately made for the department of mysteries. Unfortunately, Sirius was nowhere to be found. What greeted them was a mob of death eaters. Somehow, they had managed to get away from the prophecy room, but they had all gotten separated. Hermione had been knocked unconscious by a death-eater. Luckily, she was still alive, so Harry and Neville carried her with them.

In the next room, they discovered Ginny (who had a broken ankle and was being supported by Luna) and a very wobbly-looking Ron.

Harry and Neville laid Hermione down on a bench nearby.

‘ _Harry, you look all funny…_ ’

‘What?’ Harry gasped, as Ron wobbled. ‘Ron, what’s wrong with you?’

‘The death-eaters hit him with something,’ Ginny said, wincing as Luna helped her sit down.

‘Yes,’ Luna continued. ‘We were in a room with all these planets suspended in mid-air. Ronald was fighting off three death-eaters at once; he saved me and Ginny several times, but they hit him with some kind of hex just as we were escaping through the door. We could barely get him to move along at all.’

‘We saw Uranus up close,’ Ron gibbered, his eyes strangely unfocused. ‘ _Remember, Harry, haha…_ ’

‘Ron, we need to get you somewhere safe…’

‘Harry,’ –Ron’s voice seemed to regain some of its normal intensity. ‘You’re bleeding… and... what’s wrong with Hermione?’

‘I’m fine, Ron, but… I don’t know what they hit Hermione with.’ Harry said, noticing Ron’s worried expression. ‘Luna, do you think you can help Ginny walk?’

‘Go on without me,’ Ginny said. ‘I’m no use with this leg. I’ll look after Hermione.’

‘Okay,’ the blond girl replied. ‘Harry, you need to help Ron.’

But Ron was wobbling over to the large glass tanks all around them. Looking closer, Harry was shocked to see what appeared to be human brains floating in all of them.

‘ _Hey, Harry; look at those brains, weird, huh…_ ’

‘Don’t touch them, Ron; I’ve got a bad feeling.’

Ron nodded, as if in agreement.

‘POTTER!’

A door to their right blasted open, and an enormous hooded death-eater flew out of it, swishing their wand through the air.

The tank nearest to Harry and Ron broke, and several brains flew out of it, heading straight towards Harry.

‘No!’

Ron pushed Harry out of harm’s way at the last second, and the brains tendrils lashed around the redheads’ arms.

‘Ron!’

‘Argh! Getumoffme!’

There was a blast from nearby, and the death eater crashed to the floor, having been stunned by Luna and Ginny.

Harry scrambled over to Ron, who was desperately trying to fight off the brains. The tendrils were suckered tightly onto his skin, leaving deep welts in his arms. There was blood everywhere.

‘Ron!’ Harry yelled, horrified as he tried to pull them off. ‘Luna, help me!’

The Ravenclaw ran forward, but –at that moment- a death eater sprung out of another door, aiming his wand at her.

‘Oh.’

Luna was send flying over the tables nearby, crashing to the floor, unconscious.

‘Luna!’ Ginny screamed, her eyes wide and fearful.

‘AND NOW FOR YOU, POTTER!’

Harry darted for his wand, but Neville got there first. The death-eater crashed to the floor.

With one last effort, Harry vanished the brains. Ron gave one last moan, and lay unconscious, blood seeping through his clothes. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but his arms were now heavily maimed.

‘Ron!’ Harry gasped, staring down in horror at the redhead. ‘R-Ron, don’t…’

‘Ron’s fine, ‘arry,’ Neville said thickly through his bloodied nose. ‘E’ll be al’ight.’

‘A-and Luna?’ Ginny stammered, crawling over to her best friend.

‘Still breathing,’

‘Neville, you need to help Ginny get Luna and Hermione to safety.’

Neville nodded, and trooped off. Harry said down again at Ron, his heart beating in dulled terror against his chest.

This night could _not_ get any worse.

~~~~~~

The night had -in fact- gotten a lot worse.

Harry was sat in a chair outside the hospital wing. He found it easiest to sit alone, with his own thoughts, away from everyone else.

‘Harry?’

Harry turned, and saw Ron stood a few feet away. His eyes were full of worry.

‘Mate, what are you doing out of bed? Madam Pomfrey told you to rest-’

‘I was worried about you, Harry. And I knew you’d be here by yourself.’

‘Worry about yourself; you’re the one who got attacked by brains.’

‘And I’d do it again, if it meant you’d be okay.’

‘Don’t…’ Harry mumbled, feeling a lump in his throat as his eyes prickled with tears. ‘Don’t say that. P-please.’

Without saying anything, Ron wrapped his arms around Harry, and pulled him into a hug.

‘I’m not going anywhere, Harry.’

Harry didn’t trust himself to say anything. He concentrated on the redheads steady heartbeat, before Ron eventually let go.

‘You… you should probably get back to bed; has… has Hermione woken up yet?’

Ron shook his head.

‘Come back in, Harry, please.’

‘No; besides, I’d be a third wheel to you and Hermione, anyway.’

‘She’s unconscious.’

‘You know what I mean.’

There was a very pregnant pause. It could have been Harry’s imagination, but Ron’s ears had gone slightly pink. The taller boy had an almost… confused look on his face.

‘Ron, why… why did you save me? When the brains attacked us?’

‘Because you’re my friend. And… I… I can’t lose you, Harry.’

Harry felt his eyes begin to fill with tears again. Ron couldn’t possibly understand why his words were cutting so deep. Because Harry didn’t want them to mean what Ron meant them as.

‘R-right. I’m gonna go back to the tower now.’

‘Okay,’ Ron said, his eyes still full of concern. ‘I’ll send Pig when Hermione wakes up.’

Harry nodded, before standing up to leave.

‘Harry?’

‘Yeah?’

Ron reached over, and put a freckled hand on Harry’s shoulder, gripping it softly.

‘I’m here for you. If you ever want to… you know, talk about it.’

Harry nodded again, mutely, before walking away.

The last few weeks before the end of term passed quickly, as if the universe was mocking Harry. After Dumbledore’s explanation about everything, Harry now knew why he had to go back to the Dursleys every summer, but that didn’t make it any easier. He honestly wondered whether he could just refuse to leave the Hogwarts Express after it arrived in London, and could just wait until 1st September rolled around again.

Cho passed their carriage, and gave Harry a short wave and a friendly smile.

‘I heard she’s dating someone else now,’ Hermione said. ‘Not sure who though.’

‘Michael Corner,’ said Ginny.

‘But I thought you were dating him,’ Neville asked.

‘No, he was a sore loser about Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch,’ Ginny replied. ‘Besides, I think he and Cho get along well.’

‘Fair enough.’

Harry couldn’t help noticing that Ron hadn’t said anything, but –at that moment- Malfoy and his cronies showed up. The members of the DA who happened to have been standing nearby quickly saw to that, though. Combined with the spells Harry, Ron, Neville and Ginny had created, the effects were rather unusual. 

When the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into Kings Cross, Harry forlornly pulled his trunk onto the platform. He hadn’t expected to see the various members of the Order of the Phoenix, though; the Dursleys seemed terrified by the collection of wizards and witches assembled around Harry.

Ginny, Luna and Hermione all hugged Harry, and Neville gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder. Ron stepped forward and pulled Harry into a tight hug.

Harry closed his eyes as he inhaled the redheads’ signature scent. He wanted to never have to part with him, but he knew that wish was foolish.

‘I’ll see you soon, Harry,’ Ron breathed, his mouth almost close enough to touch Harry’s cheek. ‘You’re not alone in all this.’

Harry thought about the whole of fifth year, and about how things had slowly gotten more and more complicated. But, despite all that, he found it difficult to worry knowing that Ron was there for him as always.

And -after sharing one last smile with his best friend- Harry stepped through the barrier to the muggle world, the Dursleys trailing in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you liked it! Stay tune for next time, when we tackle sixth year and its complete car-crash of teenage hormones.


	4. Developing futures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In our final installment, Harry's feelings for Ron begin to change things between them. Leading to a school year that is already very complicated to begin with.

Harry Potter was asleep, his glasses askew against the window he had been leaning against.

He had been staring out the window, waiting for Dumbledore to turn up. However, in the summer heat, he had dozed off.

A couple of houses over, someone’s lawnmower got caught on a rock, and the resulting noise promptly woke Harry up.

Wiping the drool from his face, he checked the time. He still had a few minutes until Dumbledore said he’d be there. Harry had packed all his things together, ready for the off.

As often happened these days, Harry’s mind wandered to what Ron might be doing. Harry was due to stay at The Burrow that summer, after Dumbledore had collected him. With a bit of luck, Harry should be seeing his redheaded best mate within a few hours. 

That last thought gave Harry a funny feeling in his stomach that he had long since stopped ignoring.

Yes, as if his life wasn’t complicated enough as it was, Harry had fallen for his best friend. The redheaded, funny, loyal boy who had been there for Harry ever since the first day at Hogwarts.

Needless to say, things had gotten rather confused in Harry’s head. On the one hand, he loved being around Ron, but -on the other hand- every moment around Ron gave him a strange sense of sadness. Because he doubted Ron would ever see him in the same way.

After all, Ron probably fancied Hermione. This has been evident since second year, but it had become noticeably obvious in the past couple of years. It was actually surprising that Hermione and Ron hadn’t gotten together yet, considering how obvious Hermione’s feelings for Ron were.

_‘Ah, how lovely to see you again, Petunia…’_

Dumbledore’s voice carried up the stairs. Harry leapt out of his room, and scrambled down the stairs.

‘I trust Harry informed you of my visit?’

Petunia Dursley glared up the stairs at Harry.

‘I take it that Harry did _not_ inform you,’ Dumbledore continued, his beard twitching with suppressed mirth. ‘But no matter; let us assume you have invited me warmly into your home.’

Dumbledore breezed past Petunia and Vernon into the sitting room. Harry let out a groan, and followed.

This was going to be fun.

~~~~~

Well, it could have been worse. Harry didn’t think much of apparation, to be honest, and Horace Slughorn was a bit… odd.

But Harry was now at the Burrow. His heart leapt as he stared up at the familiar building; Ron was in there, and Mrs Weasley, who cooked better than anyone Harry knew.

He would have preferred not hearing about what Mr and Mrs Weasley got up to in private, but the soup was good. And it was nice to see Tonks again, even if it was very briefly. Why did she look so sad, though?

Harry woke up the next morning to Ron tapping him lightly on the side of the head. There were worse ways to wake up.

‘Mate! We didn’t think you’d be here for another few days!’

Harry smiled, as the redhead grinned down at him. Ron’s arms were covered in the scars he had gotten from the brains at the ministry. They worked their way up his skin, like dark-red tendrils. Over the summer, they had become a lot less harsh to look at, and Harry had to admit that Ron looked pretty bad-arse. Especially considering that he had got the scars whilst pushing Harry out of harm’s way.

He didn’t have much time to reflect on this, though, because Fleur had appeared, carrying a large tray of breakfast food. Ron’s face went strangely lopsided, as if he was trying not to stare.

‘It ‘as been so long, ‘Harry!’ Fleur exclaimed, putting the tray down on Harry’s lap.

‘Nice to see you too, Fleur,’ Harry said, feeling slightly awkward that she was seeing him in his pyjamas. ‘Congratulations to you and Bill, by the way!’

‘You are too kind!’ Fleur smiled, cheerily, the ring on her finger glinting in the morning sun. ‘Although it is a shame ‘e is not ‘ere. ‘E works ‘imself too ‘ard!’

‘I was bringing Harry’s food up to him,’ Mrs Weasley said, poking her head through the door.

‘It is no problem,’ Fleur replied, still smiling. ‘Nice to see you again, ‘Arry!’

Fleur and Mrs Weasley left the room, and the door closed shut behind them.

Ron began to shake his head, as if trying to get water out of his ears.

‘You okay, mate?’

‘Yeah,’ Ron mumbled, his ears turning pink. ‘It’s just a bit difficult when she appears out of nowhere like that. I know she doesn’t mean to do it, but still…’

‘It’s pathetic!’

Hermione stormed away, and stood nearby the window. Ron looked embarrassed and more than a little hurt.

‘Don’t worry about it, mate,’ Harry said. ‘Most blokes get affected by Fleur’s powers; I’m sure she understands that you can’t help it.’

Ron smiled.

A little while later, everyone was sat in the kitchen. Hermione had accidentally gotten punched by a telescope designed by the twins, and was now sporting a large black mark around one of her eyes. Harry had to admit that she looked funny, but Ron was helping Mrs Weasley try to fix it, so he kept his mouth shut.

‘You’re sure no owls have arrived this morning, Mrs Weasley?’ Hermione fretted.

‘Yes, dear, I’m sure,’ Mrs Weasley said, patiently. ‘Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll all do brilliantly.’

When Hermione saw the owls appear on the horizon through the open kitchen window, she shrieked, and grabbed both Harry and Ron painfully around the elbows. Harry pulled away, rubbing his arm, but Ron didn’t move.

Harry squashed the irritation that briefly bubbled in his stomach, and focused on opening his letter. He had received an ‘Outstanding’ in Defence Against The Dark Arts, as well as Charms. His ‘Dreadful’ in History Of Magic was understandable, given that he’d collapsed half way through the examination, and he had also received a ‘Poor’ in Divination. But he had passed everything else!

‘Swap?’ Ron asked, softly.

Harry nodded, and they exchanged letters.

Harry stared at Ron’s results; he had gotten an ‘O’ in both Charms and Transfiguration, no doubt due to his breaking of Gamps Law during his practical exam.

He had also passed History of Magic, and even Divination.

‘Awww, mate,’ Ron said, sympathetically, as he looked at Harry’s results. ‘Nevermind about Divination and History of Magic, eh.’

‘Well, I did fall asleep in the exam,’ Harry chuckled. ‘Don’t worry about that; congrats, Ron!’

Ron’s ears went slightly pink as he grinned. However, he then noticed Hermione standing quietly by herself.

‘Hermione? How did you do?’ Ginny asked, tentatively.

‘I- not bad.’

‘Oh, give it here,’ Ron said, rolling his eyes as he grabbed Hermione’s letter. ‘Yep; thought so. Nine ‘Outstanding’s and one ‘Exceeds Expectations’ in Defence Against The Dark Arts.’ He grinned knowingly at Hermione. ‘Don’t tell me you’re disappointed?’

Hermione giggled, as she grinned up at Ron.

Harry turned away, once again feeling the bubbling of irritation in his stomach and hating himself for it. Just because he fancied Ron, that didn’t mean he had exclusive rights to the redhead. Even if he did get angry whenever he saw Hermione grinning at Ron like that.

~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, the book lists arrived, and Harry discovered that he had been made Quidditch Captain.

‘Hey, you can now use our Prefects bathroom!’ Ron exclaimed, happily.

Harry felt his cheeks burn, as his mind rapidly constructed an image of sharing a bath with Ron.

Hermione noticed this, and glowered.

~~~~~~~~

Diagon Alley was an event as always. The twins shop was amazing, but Harry was most surprised about the behaviour of Draco Malfoy. After he, Ron and Hermione had snuck away under the cloak and done some sleuthing, Harry came to a conclusion.

‘He’s replaced his father as a death eater.’

Ron and Hermione shared doubtful looks.

‘Harry, that’s ridiculous, he’s sixteen-’

‘That’s exactly why he’s done it; Malfoy still goes to Hogwarts, after all. Voldemort must be hatching some sort of plan.’

‘I dunno, mate,’ Ron said, gently. ‘It does seem a little extreme. Remember when we thought he was the heir of Slytherin?’

‘That was different,’ Harry went on, stubbornly. ‘He’s actually got death eater pals now.’

For the next few weeks, Harry dwelled on this. What plans was Voldemort concocting this year, and what part did Malfoy have to play? Neither Ron and Hermione seemed to believe him, but Harry could half-understand their doubts. After all, they had thought Malfoy was in league with dark forces many times in the past, and he never had been.

~~~~~

1st September swung round, and -before Harry knew it- Ron and Hermione had gone off to the prefect carriage. Ginny had also disappeared off to find Dean Thomas, but Neville had appeared shortly afterwards. Glad to find a friendly face, Harry followed Neville through the train, and found Luna sat in an otherwise-empty compartment.

Harry sat down, feeling a bit miserable without Ron.

‘Are we going to continue the DA this year?’

‘No point now, is there? Since we got rid of Umbridge.’

‘Oh, no!’ Neville said. ‘I loved going to the meetings! I learned loads from you!’

‘Yes, me too,’ Luna added. ‘I loved the meetings; it was like having friends.’

‘We are your friends, Luna,’ Harry said, earnestly.

‘That’s a very nice thing to say!’ The blonde Ravenclaw chirped.

‘Hi, Harry.’

It was Cho Chang.

‘Oh, hi.’

‘Do you mind if I sit in her with you three?’

Harry shook his head, and Cho sat down next to him.

‘Er, this is Neville and Luna.’

‘Yes, I remember you two from the DA. Are we still having meetings this year?’

Harry was just about to reply that they probably weren’t, when the door of the carriage opened again, and a scared-looking third year poked their head in.

Both Neville and Harry made their way to Slughorn’s compartment; the place was packed with various people, including Ginny, who looked confused as to why she was there.

Glad of a friendly face, Harry and Neville sat down next to her.

‘Harry, m’boy!’ Slughorn exclaimed, cheerfully. ‘Thank you for coming along!’

As Slughorn introduced his various other guests, Harry had a dawning realisation that virtually everyone in the carriage had famous relatives or had something promising about them.

Cormac McLaggen, a Gryffindor seventh-year with a rather entitled attitude, started leering at Ginny. But -before Ginny could display her famous bat bogey hex again- an announcement echoed through the train, stating that they would be arriving at Hogsmeade Station shortly.

~~~~~

Looking back on it, hiding in Malfoy’s compartment under the invisibility cloak was a bad idea. Especially after the Slytherin had cast a full-body-lock curse on him, and then -to add insult to injury- stamped down on his nose.

Tonks mercifully managed to rescue Harry before the train had got very far, and she walked with him back to Hogwarts.

After getting a bunch of snide comments from Snape, Harry entered the Great Hall, and sat down beside Ron and Hermione. Both of them were clearly worried, especially about Harry’s broken nose, although Harry couldn’t help noticing how relieved Ron looked as Harry had appeared next to him.

~~~~~~~

During the first Potions lesson with Slughorn (yes, that had been a shock; Harry was still angry at Dumbledore for giving Snape the Defence position), Harry had gotten the distinct impression that Slughorn had been ignoring Ron.

This was then confirmed when the new Potions master bumped into them in the entrance hall the next day. Slughorn was organising a party for his “favourites”, and had given invitations to Harry and Hermione. Paying Ron as much attention as he would to a cockroach cluster, Slughorn ambled off.

‘Do you think we’ll know anyone else at this party?’ Hermione wondered aloud.

‘Don’t worry. I expect Ginny will have been invited too,’ Ron said, sounding hurt.

Harry found himself wanting to scream. How on earth could he possibly explain that he wouldn’t go a single party if it meant he couldn’t hang out with Ron?

To add to this turbulent atmosphere, Hermione was now getting progressively more irritated with Harry’s prowess in Potions class thanks to the Half-Blood Prince’s book. She spent most lessons glaring angrily at the book as if it had personally wronged her.

Eventually, he got so sick of her griping that he asked Ron if they could do an unofficial Quidditch practice that evening. Ron cheered up quite a bit, although Hermione did not look amused.

Deciding that Ron’s need to feel included was more important than Hermione’s need to be top of every class, Harry ignored her.

~~~~~~

After one especially difficult Quidditch session (during which Ron had accidentally thrown the Quaffle into one of the chasers mouths), Harry and Ron found themselves the last to leave the changing rooms.

‘Merlin, I wish I wasn’t so bad at this,’ Ron muttered, miserably.

‘Don’t be daft; you’re the king, remember?’ Harry said, patting Ron on the shoulder. ‘It’s just nerves; you’ll be fine after the first match!’

Ron gazed down at Harry through his eyelashes.

‘You really think so?’

‘Course! You’re a brilliant player!’

Harry kept this relentlessly supportive tone up throughout their walk back to the castle and, by the time they drew near to Gryffindor Tower, Ron looked in a much better mood.

Unfortunately, their usual shortcut was not empty; Ginny and Dean were snogging in the passageway. After Dean made a hasty exit, Ginny and Ron had started arguing.

‘Hermione snogged Krum!’ Ginny yelled, angrily. ‘It’s only you who seems to think it’s disgusting, and that’s because you have about as much experience as a twelve year old!’

Ron stared at her.

‘Yeah, I guess I do,’ he said, quietly, before leaving.

‘What the hell, Ginny?’ Harry exclaimed, as he hurried after Ron. ‘ _You know_ what’s he like about Hermione; why did you have to go and tell him… oh, forget it…’

Harry hurried off to Gryffindor Tower, running full pelt. He knew Ginny hadn’t meant to be so harsh; she had simply said it during a moment of anger. Hopefully, she and Ron would make things up within the next few days, but Harry still felt put-out by it. He knew he had no leg to stand on when it came to dealing with emotions, after all. But that didn’t make him any less worried.

Upon reaching the boys dormitory, Harry discovered that the curtains on Ron’s four poster were drawn.

‘Ron?’

There was a non-committal grunt.

Harry pulled back the curtains. Ron was sat up in bed, his legs pulled up to his torso. His blue eyes were slightly bloodshot.

‘You okay?’

Ron shrugged.

‘Dunno. I mean… I knew Krum was always into Hermione, but I never thought they’d ever… she just said they were penpals…’

‘I guess she thought you wouldn’t want to know. I mean, kissing probably isn’t that big a deal. Although I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never kissed anyone.’

Ron looked at Harry, his blue eyes sad.

Without thinking, Harry leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ron’s. He felt the redhead startle slightly, but he did not break away. Slowly, Ron relaxed and, much to Harry’s astonishment, began to kiss him back.

Harry wished he could stay in that moment forever.

~~~~~~

Nothing much changed. Harry had half-hoped that maybe things would, but he understood that things were changing enough as it was.

And it was definitely comforting, to know that he could kiss Ron without worrying about further ramifications.

Hermione was understandably shocked, and -although she would never admit it- upset. Harry did feel somewhat guilty, but they had both made it clear to her that they were not a couple. Simply that it was a comfort thing. Ron never found it easy to discuss this with Hermione, and Harry heard the continuing nagging in his head about why that was.

Hermione did seem somewhat colder to Ron in the following weeks. Ron was understandably rather upset by this, but Harry guessed why Hermione was acting this way. It was possible she saw that Ron was only attracted to men, a situation which Harry himself did not immediately agree with. For the simple reason that he had seen the looks Ron gave Hermione when he thought she wasn’t looking; the little soft glances and quiet stares that removed any doubt as to Ron being purely gay.

~~~~~~~

‘Harry, m’lad!’ Slughorn said, breaking Harry out of his concentration. ‘I’ve got a little Christmas party coming up, and I’ve cleared it with McGonagall and Hooch.’

Harry smiled uneasily. He had deliberately re-scheduling Quidditch practices whenever Slughorn had a party, so that Ron didn’t feel excluded.

‘The Quidditch season doesn’t reconvene after Christmas, so I expect you -and a partner, if you like- at the party! Bit of festive cheer is what you need! let me guess? Lovesickness?’

Harry felt himself blush, and avoided looking at Ron. Slughorn didn’t notice, and instead grinned.

‘It’s Christmas Eve at nine pm sharp! Hope you enjoy yourself!’

Later that evening, Harry was getting on with his Charms homework when…

‘So… Slughorn’s party, eh?’

Ron had sat down next to him. Harry felt his face burn again.

‘E-er, yeah. Might go along; don’t really have an excuse not to.’

‘W-well…’ Ron stammered, his ears turning red. ‘I… I could come along… I mean, if you want me to? That way we can have a laugh about it.’

‘Y-yeah, that… that’d be great,’ Harry grinned, nervously. ‘You sure you want to?’

‘Definitely.’

‘Great.’

~~~~~~~~

Any worries that Harry might have had promptly disappeared just before they left for the party. Ron looked very handsome in the robes the twins had bought him the previous year.

‘Wow,’ Harry breathed.

‘Do… Do I look okay?’ Ron asked, nervously.

‘I think you look brilliant, mate.’

Ron’s ears turned pink.

‘Thanks. Shall… shall we get going, then?’

Harry nodded, and the two of them left for the party. Slughorn’s office had been magically expanded to several times its usual size.

‘Is Hermione here yet, you reckon?’

‘No,’ Harry said. ‘She said she wasn’t coming tonight.’

‘Oh,’ Ron said, looking a bit disappointed. Harry tried not to think too hard about that.

The two of them swept onto the dancefloor, and swayed to the music playing. Harry’s heart beat happily at the feeling of Ron’s hand on his waist, and his enveloping _Ron_ scent.

Harry had to sneak off at one point, so he could overhear what Malfoy and Snape were talking about, but his thoughts were taken off that serious worry when he returned to Ron. The two of them had another dance.

As they arrived back at the boys’ dorm, Ron turned to Harry.

‘I had a really great time, mate.’

Without warning, Ron leaned down and kissed Harry on the lips. Nothing intense, but sweet and chaste. Harry’s stomach flipped over. They stayed like that for a while, but Harry wished it would never end.

As he lay in bed, his mind still full of the kiss they had just shared, Harry continued to wonder about things. He and Ron weren’t dating, but things between them certainly weren’t platonic. What… what was _this_ between them?

**~~~~~~**

This confusion would be resolved somewhat, as Harry found himself staring down at an unconscious Ron in Slughorn’s office, having just narrowly saved Ron from poison.

He clutched at the front of Ron’s pyjamas, feeling his eyes fog with tears. He had come so close to losing Ron again. And this time it had been caused by the love potion-infused chocolate that had been given to Harry by Romilda Vane months ago.

This had been his fault.

Harry didn’t speak much for the rest of the day. He had stood outside the hospital wing with Ginny and Luna, until Hermione -who looked as scared as Harry- had arrived a little while later. Ginny and Luna had discussed the various possibilities of how the poison had ended up in Slughorn’s office.

Harry and Hermione said nothing. Both of them seemed unable to speak, and simply stared intensely at the huge oak doors of the hospital wing.

Several hours later, Madam Pomfrey opened the doors.

‘Mr Weasley is resting,’ she said, before any of them could speak. ‘You may all sit nearby him for a while. I have sent an owl to Arthur and Molly, and they should be on their way here soon.’

The four students hurried into the ward, over to the only occupied bed.

Ron was asleep, his chest rising and sinking softly under the covers.

Harry let out a deep sigh of relief, and -next to him- Hermione did too.

About twenty minutes later (although time seem to have stopped working normally in Harry’s head), Molly and Arthur burst into the room.

Molly immediately burst into tears, and pressed a motherly kiss to Ron’s cheek. Arthur put his arms around Ginny, hugging his daughter and patting her head.

Molly then turned to Harry, who flinched. But the Weasley matriarch pulled him into a tight hug.

‘Thank you,’ Molly sobbed. ‘You’ve saved Ginny, you’ve saved Arthur, now you’ve saved Ron…’

‘Half our family do seem to owe you their lives, now that I think about it.’ Arthur said, quietly. ‘Madam Pomfrey says that, if you hadn’t been there…’

Harry didn’t speak, not trusting himself to keep from crying.

‘Speaking of which,’ Ginny said, ‘It’s all very odd, isn’t it. It was a poisoned bottle that Ron drank from; if whoever planted it was after Dumbledore, they didn’t know Slughorn very well.’

‘That makes it worse, doesn’t it.’

Hermione had spoken. Her quivery voice sounded like Harry felt, and he remembered that he wasn’t the only person in the room who couldn’t bare a world without Ron.

‘Y-yeah,’ Harry said. ‘This person -whoever they are- doesn’t care who they hurt.’

Hermione nodded.

There was a mumbling noise from the bed. They all looked round.

‘ _A-ree_ ,’ mumbled Ron, still very much asleep. ‘ _Er-my-nee…_ ’

They all stared at Ron for a while, but he continued to mumble incomprehensibly in his sleep, before going silent.

Interesting, Harry thought, and his heart began to hope.

~~~~~~

Harry had gotten the memory from Slughorn. Despite having had no sleep that night, he was feeling surprisingly cheerful.

‘Well, it wasn’t a good night for everyone,’ Hermione continued, matter-of-factly. ‘Ginny broke up with Dean.’

Harry looked down the table; Dean was sat, looking rather miserable, with Seamus.

‘Any reason why?’

‘Oh, something silly,’ Hermione responded. ‘Apparently, he wouldn’t let her climb through the portrait hole by herself.’

‘Ah.’

A shrewd look came over Hermione’s face.

‘Harry, you didn’t cause this, did you?’

‘Not intentionally!’ Harry exclaimed. ‘It was when I was going to get the memory off Slughorn; I must have accidentally nudged against Ginny when I was leaving the common room.’

‘Do you think that was the effect of the Felix?’

Harry shrugged. 

‘Ginny not turning up to breakfast, I take it?’

‘No,’ said Luna, who happened to be passing. ‘She said she’d rather sit down by the lake; I’m taking her some toast now.’

Harry and Ron shared a knowing look as Luna left the hall.

‘Well, that explains some things, doesn’t it…’

‘What?’ Hermione asked, looking confused.

‘You know…Ginny and Luna…’

Hermione’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘You mean… the two of them… _together_? Gosh, I never even noticed.’

‘Brightest witch of her age, ladies and gentlemen,’ Harry cheeked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, as Ron laughed fondly.

~~~~~~~

Harry had missed the final Quidditch match of the season. He had been stuck in detention with Snape, after using a spell he had read in the Half Blood Prince’s book on Malfoy. Well, Malfoy had been trying to use Crucio on Harry at the time, but Harry had never meant to cause such harm.

Upon finishing his detention (the first of many, according to Snape), he had dashed back to Gryffindor Tower, where he hurriedly told the password, hoping for some hint as to the result of the match.

‘You’ll see.’ The Fat Lady said, her expression frustratingly neutral.

The portrait creaked open, and a cacophony of noise erupted through the hole. Scrambling through, Harry discovered the entirety of Gryffindor House in rampant and joyous celebration.

‘We won, Harry; we won!’ Ron declared, brandishing the Quidditch Cup above his head.

Ron’s eyes were wide with happiness, and he ran towards Harry. He threw his arms around the shorter boy, lifting Harry off his feet.

And, without planning it, without considering that fifty people were watching them, Harry kissed him.

There was a very pregnant silence. Harry and Ron -both blushing furiously- broke apart.

Fifty pairs of eyes watched them. Suddenly, there was a wolf-whistle from the back of the room, and an outbreak of nervous giggling.

Ginny was beaming happily, hand-in-hand with Luna, while Dean and Seamus were giving Harry the thumbs up.

Hermione was stood a little way away, and her mouth had fallen open.

‘H-Hermione?’ Ron stammered.

The bushy-haired witch walked over, grabbed Ron by the front of his robes, and promptly pressed her lips to his.

The common room –as one- goggled, as Ron and Hermione did little aside from press closer together.

Then-

‘Oy!’ Harry said, and his two friends broke apart, blushing furiously.

Luna let out a giggle.

~~~~~~~~

A little while later, Harry and Ron were nervously stood in their dormitory.

‘Harry?’

‘Y-yeah?’

‘A-are we… you know…’

There was a very long pause, as Harry’s mind swam with emotions.

‘I… I…’

‘Because… I…’

‘W-what?’ Harry stammered.

‘It’s just… and with Hermione…’

Harry felt his stomach turn to ice. Ron seemed to realise what he had just said, and hurriedly continued

‘But with you as well… I… I’m so confused…’

Oh.

That wasn’t so bad.

‘Ron… do you… you know… _like_ me?’

Ron looked at Harry, his ears pink.

‘Y-yeah. I do. Not just as a friend, either.’

‘I… I feel the same way about you.’

Ron smiled, before kissing Harry softly. Which Harry was enjoying more and more with every time it happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, things got progressively worse from that point onwards.

Dumbledore was dead. There was a war to be fought, and Harry had never felt more alone in his life.

Ron was helping Hermione out of her chair, the bushy-haired witch crying into his shoulder as he did so.

When they reached him, Hermione pulled away from Ron, looking guiltily at Harry. But Harry felt no jealousy.

Ron reached out, and pulled Harry into a hug.

As the carriages arrived at the castle, Harry looked up at Hogwarts Castle, wondering if he’d ever see it again.

‘What are you going to do, Harry?’

‘Well, I’m going to go back to the Dursleys. Just one last time; I think it’s what Dumbledore would have wanted.’

‘And after that?’

‘I’m gonna track down the remaining Horcruxes. But –before that- I think I need to visit Godric’s Hollow. That’s where it all started. And if I meet Snape along the way; so much the worse for him.’

‘Fair enough,’ Ron said. ‘But you’re still coming round to the Burrow this summer.’

‘Why?’

‘Bill and Fleur’s wedding, of course!’

Harry grinned. The fact that something so wonderfully ordinary as a wedding could still happen was wonderful.

‘C’mon, mates; time to get moving.’

Ron put his arms around Harry and Hermione’s shoulders, and the three of them walked down the path towards the carriages.

Maybe, just maybe, things would be okay. Harry leaned into Ron’s side, and the redhead hugged him tighter with his arm, pressing a kiss to the top of Harry’s head.

Things might not be alright now, but they would be. He had Ron. And that was good enough. More than good enough.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading through to the end, everyone! Hope you liked this concluding chapter! I know I originally said I was going to continue throughout all the books, but I honesty don't think I could have kept Harry and Ron apart for another year without it seeming artificial. I was worried I would end up getting bored of writing this series, and not giving it the proper treatment it deserves. Hence why we are ending this story here instead of extending it into 'Deathly Hallows' territory. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for the amazing comments you've given throughout the publication of this series, and it means so much to me that people are enjoying my retelling of the series in this AU! :)


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